The present invention relates to data storage systems, and more particularly, this invention relates to detecting conditions persistent with damaged tape cartridges and recovering data stored therein before the data becomes unreadable.
Automated data storage libraries are known for providing cost effective storage and retrieval of large quantities of data. The data in automated data storage libraries is typically stored on media of data storage cartridges that are, in turn, stored at storage slots or the like inside the library in a fashion that renders the media, and its resident data, accessible for physical retrieval. Such data storage cartridges are commonly termed “removable media.” An example of a data storage cartridge that is widely employed in automated data storage libraries for mass data storage is a magnetic tape cartridge having a magnetic recording tape therein.
Data is read from and written onto the magnetic recording tape utilizing magnetic transducers. Data is written on the magnetic recording tape by moving a magnetic recording transducer to a position over the tape where the data is to be stored. The magnetic recording transducer then generates a magnetic field, which encodes the data into the magnetic tape. Data is read from the tape by similarly positioning the magnetic read transducer and then sensing the magnetic field of the magnetic tape. Read and write operations may be independently synchronized with the movement of the tape to ensure that the data can be read from and written to the desired location on the tape.
An important and continuing goal in the data storage industry is that of increasing reliability, capacity and performance. For tape storage systems, that goal has led to increasing the amount of tape stored in a cartridge, reducing the thickness of the tape, and increasing the operating speeds. However, such development has created various problems with respect to tape cartridges for use in such systems.